The present invention relates generally to sunshades for vehicles and, more particularly, to a mounting bracket and arm assembly that allows the sunshade to be installed in a vehicle without the use of tools or fasteners.
Sunshades for vehicles are typically mounted on the vehicle body roof by an elbow bracket that provides both a horizontal axis about which a visor blade pivots between a storage position adjacent the vehicle headliner and a use position adjacent the windshield, and a vertical axis about which the visor pivots approximately 90.degree. between a forward windshield position and a side window position. One method of mounting the elbow bracket in the headliner of the vehicle to the underlying sheet metal roof is by a plurality of screws; however, sunshade mounts not requiring the use of screws have also been proposed, including snap-in and bayonet type designs.
Several problems are associated with the use of screws to attach a sunshade mounting bracket to a vehicle roof, including the amount of labor required for assembly, unsightliness of the screws, variations in the sunshade mounting angle caused by improperly torqued screws, and the possibility of producing scrap components due to improper assembly techniques. In general, prior art snap-in mount designs have addressed these problems; however, such mounts do not appear to provide as secure an attachment and may be more difficult to attach and/or detach from the vehicle roof.
A bayonet type mounting arrangement for a vehicle sunshade generally includes a locking member that is inserted into an aperture in the vehicle roof and is then rotated so that lugs or tabs on the locking member engage the back side of the roof. In such an arrangement, it is necessary to provide a way to rotate the locking member to its engaged position so that it will remain there during normal operation of the sunshade. In one prior art design, a separate tool is required to rotate the locking member to its engaged position.
Other bayonet type sunshade mounts permit rotation of the locking member by frictional interaction with the bracket arm, i.e. the elbow bracket, whereby rotation of the bracket arm causes the locking member to rotate to its engaged position. In order that the sunshade may then be rotated between the forward windshield position and the side window position without disengaging the locking member, the locking member is held in its engaged position by screws or by retention of the lugs or tabs of the locking member within corresponding slots or recesses. In the latter case, the mount requires several spring components and the application of an axial force during installation and removal.
A vehicle headliner typically covers the interior of the vehicle sheet metal roof prior to installation of the sunshade mount. In one type of vehicle interior design, a modular headliner is provided having various vehicle trim items already attached thereto prior to installation of the modular headliner into a vehicle. This has the advantage of reducing assembly steps and costs; however, none of the prior art sunshade mounts are particularly adapted for incorporation into such a modular headliner system.